It's kind of unfair how good these Dutch Oven Carnitas taste, given how little work goes into making them. Seriously, you just throw all the ingredients into the Dutch oven and walk away for four hours, coming back to a mouthwatering pot of juicy, tender pork carnitas. It's almost magic.
Jump To...
Ingredient Notes
A few important notes on some of the ingredients used in this Dutch Oven Carnitas recipe:
Pork Butt: You can use pork shoulder or pork butt, but we prefer pork butt because it is a bit juicier and more tender. Get the skinless, boneless variety. This is the same cut that we use in our Air Fryer Char Siu recipe.
Spices: You'll need ground black pepper, salt, cumin, oregano, bay leaf, and a cinnamon stick.
Onion: Don't bother dicing the onion small, just chop into wedges. As it cooks, it will melt right into the carnitas.
Garlic: Roughly chop the garlic, but just like the onions, there's no need to mince them finely.
Jalapeño Pepper: If you don't have jalapeños, go ahead and sub with Thai chile peppers, as shown in our ingredient shot above.
Orange Juice: You can either use bottled orange juice or fresh squeezed juice from one small orange.
Lard: The traditional fat for cooking carnitas is pork lard, but no sweat, regular cooking oil works just fine!
See recipe card for quantities.
Directions
Step 1: Add all the ingredients to a Dutch oven, in the order listed.
Step 2: Cover and place on medium heat until it comes to a simmer. Then turn down the heat.
Step 3: Cook on medium-low heat for four hours. By the third hour, the meat should be tender and easily broken up with a spatula.
Step 4: During the last hour, stir frequently (every five minutes or so) to prevent the bottom from burning.
Hint: If the carnitas start to look too dry during the last hour of cooking, your heat is probably too high. Add a bit of water and turn down the heat.
Top Tip
Stick the Dutch oven in the oven (middle rack) and broil for a few minutes, or until the surface of the carnitas is brown and crispy. Don't skip this step for the BEST carnitas!!
Equipment
The Dutch oven is the perfect vessel for slowly braised recipes like pork carnitas. On low heat on the stovetop, it keeps the inside evenly moistened and heated all the way through.
For one batch of this recipe you'll want to use at least a 2.5-quart Dutch oven (that's the size we used, and everything just barely fit).
Storage
Fridge: Carnitas can be kept in the fridge (we store it right in the Dutch oven) for up to three days.
Freezer: Freeze leftover carnitas in an airtight container for up to three months.
Reheating: The best way to reheat these carnitas is in the air fryer. Spread them over a piece of parchment paper or tin foil, then throw it in the air fryer at 400 °F for a couple of minutes. It will be heated and re-crisped at the same time! You can also do this in the oven on broil.
What to Serve with Carnitas
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Dutch Oven Carnitas:
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a rating or comment below to give me feedback and help out other readers.
Recipe Card
Dutch Oven Carnitas (One-Pot)
Equipment
- Dutch oven at least 2.5-quart capacity or bigger, such as this one
- Wooden spoon or spatula
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pork shoulder or pork butt sliced into 8 chunks
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ tablespoon ground cumin
- ½ tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cinnamon stick no longer than 3 inches
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 1 head garlic roughly chopped (10 to 12 cloves)
- 1 jalapeño pepper diced
- ¼ cup orange juice or 1 small orange
- 2 tablespoons oil or lard
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a Dutch oven, in the order listed. Cover with a heavy lid and place on medium heat until it comes to a simmer, then turn the heat down to medium-low.
- Cook on medium-low heat for 4 hours. Stir occasionally (once an hour) for the first 3 hours.
- During the last hour, stir frequently (every 5 minutes or so) to prevent the bottom from burning, and to break up the meat into a shredded texture.
- Optional (but recommended): Put the Dutch oven in the oven on the middle rack and broil for a few minutes, or until the surface of the carnitas is brown and crispy.
Comments
No Comments